2024-11-17 Sandy Island, Union Island

We spent a couple of days in Tyrell Bay in Carriacou.   Did some more shopping, as we knew it would most likely be our last chance for the next few weeks.  Headed out to Sandy Island which is part of Carriacou, but in a protected zone.   Sandy Island was hit hard by hurricane Beryl, but is still beautiful.   

Sandy Island, Carriacou

People have created paths on the island using the washed ashore dead coral

Lots of work on the paths

Don't know if the palms were tilted this hard before Beryl, but they certainly are tilted now

A lot of coral was broken and washed up ashore on the ends of the island.  Interesting to see how nature has changed and will continue to change the island.  Where the coral is piled up it acts as a breakwater, creating a protected area that will fill in eventually with sand and debris creating more island, while other parts of the island were washed away in Beryl.

You can see the pile of washed ashore coral, creating a breakwater of sorts

Crossing the shallows, that are new since hurricane Beryl

Washed ashore coral from hurricane Beryl

Island is not that large.  About 115 ft by 1200 ft

There is a new underwater snorkel park called "A World Adrift" that was put in within the last month near Sandy Island that we checked out.

Water clarity wasn't that great, but diving down gave a good view of the sculptures

They have "seeded" some sculptures with coral, as you can see on this sculpture

We took the dink to mainland Carriacou to check out, and had a 3.5 mile round trip walk from the beach to immigration and customs.   Asked a nice man on the beach if it was OK to leave our dink with the fishing boats.   He said it was, and walked with us a bit of the way as well.  He was a middle school teacher for 30 years on Carriacou, and pretty much knew everyone.  Interesting person to talk to.  He lost everything in the hurricane, but now is rebuilding, and has a roof, so is thankful for that.

  

On Carriacou, demolishing a home destroyed in Beryl

On Carriacou, destroyed home overlooking the mangroves in Tyrell bay

Had a nice 1 hour sail from Sandy Island up to Union Island.  We took a mooring at Frigate Island, and then took the dink the 2 miles over to the town of Clifton to check in.   Union was hit very hard by hurricane Beryl, and the customs and immigration office is set up temporarily in a vacant room in the local hotel - which is also damaged and rebuilding.   There is a small dinghy dock near the hotel, also badly damaged.   

Dink coming into the dinghy dock through narrow damaged opening.

After check in, we went for a snorkel around Frigate Island.

Not much coral

Some nice underwater structure, but lacking in coral or sponge life.   

Interesting rock formation on Frigate Island

The anchorage got rolly overnight, so we moved over to Chatham Bay.  There was  a small cruise ship there as well, so we were entertained watching them ferry folks back and forth to the beach.

Small cruise ship

Sandy beach and steep hill in Chatham bay.

There used to be some small restaurants in Chatham bay and a small resort, but all are destroyed.  Only the building from the resort are left, and are being rebuilt.  Went snorkeling at the north side of the anchorage, was identified as a good spot but the water was cloudy and didn't see much.

Union Island looks like it was harder hit than Carriacou, and the rebuilding is slower as well.  We would say only about 10% of the buildings are live-able here, although we did not walk through town, so that could be off, but an estimate from what we can see from the boat.

We will move today up to Mayreau.